After another busy work day on day 37, I didn't get running until just after 19:30. This one was on the treadmill. Where usually I'd watch something on the TV to keep my mind occupied, I really couldn't be bothered. Needless to say the time seemed to go very slowly. I couldn't find any real pace and was pleased to get this one done before 23:00. A mind numbing 03:23:10 was achieved.
Day 38's plan was to run to the match in Newcastle. After a couple of slow days, I decided to see how far I'd come, fitness wise. So out of the window was the usual conservative risk free pace. This was all about getting to the finish line as quickly as possible. I knew that I'd suffer the consequences in the coming days. I felt that seeing what gains had been made after 37 days of half marathons with no prior training whatsoever was more important.
Conditions were near perfect for running. It felt like such a nice change to be running in daylight too. I can't remember the last time that happened. It was probably Paris on day 28.
The first 7 miles to Seaton Burn felt quite comfortable. I later heard that a work mate, Graeme, passed me in the car at this point. Had it been safe to stop then he would have offered me a lift to the match!
The 2 mile section through Wideopen seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. It was stark contrast to day 36 when I was plodding through there in the pouring icy cold rain. I took the opportunity to do a Facebook Live while I was running. While doing so, some brilliant donations came in to my Justgiving page. They were from 2 long term supporters. The first one was from respected journalist George Caulkin. He's someone who has followed the Run Geordie Run journey right from the start and offered support all the way. The second one was from a lovely lady who we set next to at the match; Pam. Her support over recent years has been incredibly kind. Just as I felt a little bit tired, some timely donations served as fuel to my feet. Of course, these are much needed donations for St. Benedict's Hospice. However, as I've mentioned on many an occasion, money to the hospice always does wonders for keeping me moving forward. That's been the case all over the world and in all kinds of conditions and predicaments.
I messaged Donna at mile 9 to say that I was going to be around 30 minutes quicker than usual. She set off for the match day meeting place earlier as a result.
Gosforth High Street was a little busy and that slowed me down slightly. I was back up to full speed when I got to the other side. I was just striding out down the Great North Road (for a grandstand finish) when Donna passed in the car. I'm not sure she could see me but I celebrated what was sure to be a 2026 best time with some punches in the air. It must have looked a right sad sight from those passing by. I didn't care one bit!
I got to the finish line in 02:50:09. It was probably. the quickest half marathon distance I'd ran in years. Certainly quicker than the last disastrous Great North Run in 2022 (another one where I did no training whatsoever).
So having knocked 25 minutes off my previous best time for 2026, I had a good idea of how far my fitness had come in just 38 days. It's not just about fitness though. The motivation to get out and run is absolutely consistent. Obviously, I have no choice if I want to keep this campaign alive. I'm pleased with my atitude so far in what have been some difficult conditions to run in. Roll on warmer weather and lighter, longer days.
The question now is, can I make similar gains over the next 38 days? The benefit to that is that I'll be spending less time on my feet and have more time back to do other things. Even if I'm saving 30 minutes a day, that will add up over the course of a week.
Back to day 38 and the match didn't see the result I'd hoped for. It took quite a while to walk the 1.5 mile back to the car. The consequences of running quicker were being seen already!
Day 39 was another late start. As expected, I was aching terribly from the prior day's effort. I hadn't even managed to get around the supermarket in the usual quick time for the "big shop". 03:25:40 was the final time on the treadmill. Donations from Louise and Andy helped massively to get through this one. The charity fund had burst through the £1000 barrier.
Day 40 wasn't much better in terms of recovery. Dull aches still remained in my legs. My plan was to get a 15:00 start but work commitments meant that I started running just before 17:00. I managed to see 15 minutes of daylight at least.
The route was to run to Bedlington Front street and back before heading to Morpeth. By the time I got to Nedderton, the head torch was needed. There were some flooded, slippy patches on the path. It would just take one slip into the nearby traffic and it would all be over. Speaking of floods, I wondered if this would be the first run this year with no rain. Spoiler alert! It wasn't.
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